Logitech K810 Bluetooth Illuminated Keyboard review

A portable keyboard for your Windows 8 tablet

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For

Nice illumination

Good battery life

Easy Bluetooth pairing

Against

Expensive

Not as many features as competitors

Bluetooth only

Tablets are supposed to be able to handle most day-to-day computing tasks with just a touchscreen replacing a keyboard and mouse. Even so, there are a number of keyboards (as well as mice) that have been made with the aim of being carried around with a tablet PC, making it easier to type and work on for long periods.

Microsoft released the Wedge Mobile Keyboard to coincide with the launch of Windows 8, and Logitech has followed up with its own offering: the Logitech K810 Bluetooth Illuminated Keyboard.

In many ways the Logitech K810 Bluetooth Illuminated Keyboard is similar to the Microsoft Wedge Mobile Keyboard. It's got a slim and compact design, though it's not quite as small as Microsoft's diminutive offering, and it's Bluetooth only, so there's no need for a USB dongle which makes things nice and simple.

The idea here is that this is an easily portable keyboard to use with a tablet. The design of the keyboard is simple yet attractive, with a brushed aluminium effect face.

There's a fair gap between each key that minimises accidental presses, but does add a bit of strain to your fingers when typing. The Windows key comes with the new Windows logo, but otherwise there are no more Windows 8-centric buttons as there are on the Microsoft Wedge Mobile Keyboard.

The differences between the two products are sometimes obvious, such as the aforementioned slightly larger size, and the attractive backlighting of the keys.

The backlight turns on when a key is pressed, and the brightness is adjusted depending on the ambient light of the room you're using the keyboard in. It's certainly a nice touch.

Other differences are less obvious. You're able to pair the keyboard with three different Bluetooth devices, and easily switch between them using the function keys. The Logitech K810 Bluetooth Illuminated Keyboard is also Mac compatible (unlike Microsoft's, for some reason...) and has some Mac functions built in as well, such as support for virtual keyboards.

The biggest difference, however, is price, with the Logitech K810 Bluetooth Illuminated Keyboard coming in at £89.99/US$99.99 (around AU$135), which is more expensive than the Microsoft Wedge Mobile Keyboard.

Verdict

Overall this is a decent mobile keyboard that's small and light enough to carry around with your tablet PC without being too much of a burden.

However, the extra features don't justify the high price tag, and the Microsoft Wedge Mobile Keyboard, while not having Mac support or illuminated keys, is neck and neck with the Logitech K810 Bluetooth Illuminated Keyboard when it comes to build quality and performance.